Trauma Safety Plans For Going Out.

THE BACKSTORY: This was a comic that felt important for Marco and I to make. Marco and I both deal with what might be labeled chronic or complex PTSD. Not only from abusive parents, but also from growing up in poverty in violent cities like Phoenix and LA. I went to Maryvale High School in Phoenix for a time, where there were regularly school riots and the school was surrounded by barbwire; Marco lived in Paramount for a time and remembers the Los Angeles Uprising of 1992. I have been targeted by bullying and violence for being queer and gender non conforming and Marco has dealt with gender policing all their life for being a femme person Assigned Male At Birth (AMAB) as well as the trauma of being a person of color in the United Stated all their life. After the recent stabbings in our town of Portland by a well-known, violent white supremacist, but also with the national rise of violence by racists, homophobes, transphobes, misogynists, and other fascists, maybe you have a loved one who is also facing difficulty and anxiety about going in public or dealing with other people. Check in with your friends, coworkers, loved ones. Ask them what they might need. Go over plans of support and safety. Listen to them, believe them, and have their backs.